Protective cover with ground surface seal

Abstract

Protective cover with ground surface seal. In an embodiment, the protective cover comprises a protective top cover, comprising one or more edges, and an apron extending from the one or more edges of the protective top cover. The edge of the apron, opposite the one or more edges of the protective cover, may comprise a sealing tube that contains a compressible, contouring material, so as to form a seal between the edge of the apron and a ground surface when the protective cover is deployed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A protective cover comprising:
 a protective top cover comprising one or more edges; and 
 an apron extending from the one or more edges of the protective top cover, 
 wherein an edge of the apron, opposite the one or more edges of the protective top cover, comprises a sealing tube that contains a compressible, contouring material, so as to form a seal between the edge of the apron and a ground surface when the protective cover is deployed, and 
 wherein the apron comprises one or more segments, 
 wherein each segment has two segment ends, and 
 wherein each segment end is configured to overlap and detachably affix to another segment end, so as to form a releasable seal without any gaps between the segment end and the other segment end. 
 
     
     
       2. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the apron is detachable from the one or more edges of the protective top cover. 
     
     
       3. The protective cover of  claim 2 , wherein the apron is attached to the one or more edges of the protective top cover by a zipper. 
     
     
       4. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the apron is at least twelve inches wide between the one or more edges of the protective top cover and the sealing tube. 
     
     
       5. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more segments consist of a single segment. 
     
     
       6. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more segments are a plurality of segments. 
     
     
       7. The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein each overlap region of detachably affixed segment ends is at least three inches wide. 
     
     
       8. The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein each segment end is attachable and detachable to another segment end by a fastener. 
     
     
       9. The protective cover of  claim 8 , wherein the fastener comprises Velcro™. 
     
     
       10. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein at least one end of the sealing tube of each segment comprises a fastener to close the at least one end of the sealing tube, so as to seal the contouring material within the sealing tube, and open the at least one end of the sealing tube, so as to provide access to the contouring material within the sealing tube. 
     
     
       11. The protective cover of  claim 10 , wherein the fastener comprises Velcro™. 
     
     
       12. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the contouring material comprises sand. 
     
     
       13. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protective cover is configured to cover a vehicle. 
     
     
       14. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protective cover is configured to cover furniture. 
     
     
       15. The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the sealing tube is substantially cylindrical. 
     
     
       16. The protective cover of  claim 15 , wherein the substantially cylindrically sealing tube has a diameter or width of at least two inches.